Unprecedented Flooding Leaves US City Suburb Looking Like a 'War Zone'

Heavy flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland, this weekend left two people dead and necessitated the rescue of 100 others, in what one county executive described as the worst destruction in generations.

“We’ve never seen such devastation in Howard County for over 50 years,” Allan Kittleman, the county executive, told CNN. “It looks like a war zone.”

Kittleman said six inches (15cm) of rain fell in just two hours on Saturday night; that's roughly the same amount that the city, which lies roughly 12 miles outside of Baltimore, gets in a month. The National Weather Service reported that the nearby Patapsco River surged more than 13 feet (just under four metres), according to NBC.

Footage from both the flood and its aftermath showed how bad the damage was:

One victim, Jessica Watsula, 35, was killed after her car was swept up by rushing water; the other, 38-year-old Joseph Blevins, also died after his car got caught in the flooding.

At least 25 buildings were damaged, and videos from the scene showed cars floating down what had previously been city streets.

One video showed a human chain that was formed to save a woman from her car: